My son has asthma and is on Flovent. On one occasion he ran out of Flovent for about a month and had an asthma attack. We gave him his albuterol as rescue drug. Should we also continue his Flovent during asthma attack? Thank you.

FROM OUR EXPERTS

Yes. Flovent should be given as prescribed every day especially when the patient is feeling good and especially when the patient is sick. Flovent is a corticosteroid that controlls inflammation in the lungs with the goal of preventing an asthma attack, yet it can also make an emminent asthma attack less severe.

It is safe to take with Albuterol, an it's safe to take during an asthma attack. However, make sure you are only taking the recommended prescribed dose. Do not take extra puffs unless directed by your physician.

I also would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that Flovent is not a rescue medicine. It will not end an asthma attack. It's a small amount of steroid meant to prevent and control asthma, not end an asthma attack. For this reason, Flovent will be of no use unless it is used every day. You should use it when you are sick, and you should use it when -- especially when -- you are not sick.

The reason I say this is it usually takes 2-3 weeks for enough of this medicine to get into the system for it to do what it's intended to do.

If your son continues to have trouble with his asthma, and if you have further questions, you should seek professional medical advice. Thanks. Good luck. Rick.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

This type of inhaler contains relatively very small amount of corticosteroids so its main aim is controlling the symptoms of asthma. Although it may help in emergency situation mostly it is needed to use a higher dosage of steroids. Therefore, it is wise to use this inhaler every day. In math words: one emergency day of 5mg tablet of prednsolon (x 4-6) may equal the whole month doses of the Flovent inhaler..Imagine!..best wishes Dr Yahya Shihadeh

Generic Name: FLUTICASONE DISK INHALER - ORAL Pronounced: (flew-TIC-uh-sone) Flovent Diskus Inhl Uses
Fluticasone is used to control and prevent symptoms (such
as wheezing and shortness of breath) caused by asthma. It works by reducing
swelling (inflammation) of the airways in the lungs to make breathing easier.
Controlling symptoms of asthma helps you maintain your normal activities and
decreases time lost from work or school. Fluticasone belongs to a class of
drugs known as corticosteroids.
This medication must be used regularly to be effective. It
does not work immediately and should not be used to relieve sudden asthma
attacks. If an asthma attack occurs, use your quick-relief inhaler (such as
albuterol, also called salbutamol in some countries) as
prescribed.
How To Use Flovent Diskus Inhl
Read the Patient Information Leaflet that comes with this
product before you start using fluticasone and each time you get a refill. Read
...

Dara Torres has asthma, just like her father , says a story in the New York Times. But for years, she had been training and competing with coughing and difficulty breathing. When she finally started taking asthma medicine, "she realized how much, and how needlessly, she had been suffering."
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Competition with a chronic ...

It's 2009, and that means we are all being forced to switch officially to the HFA type of asthma inhaler. Many other posts here have dealt with the whys and wherefores of this regulatory change, and you can read all about them on our HFA Inhalers page .
It's a fact that many people do not feel as though they're getting the same level of relief from the HFA inhalers, especially the HFA rescue inhalers, despite the fact that experts keep telling us that doesn't make sense. One thing is for sure, the HFA inhalers seem to be a permanent change we people with asthma are going to have to accept and get used to.
One of the other fall outs from this change, though, is a financial one. Because the HFA inhalers are all new to the market in the past couple of years, there are no generic versions available. (It takes 7 years for patent protection to expire, before generics can enter a pharmaceutical market.) And brand name medications are always more expensive. Again, I'm not here to...

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